Allegiant Pilots’ Strike Order Clarified

LAS VEGAS (CN) – A federal judge amended his injunction against a strike by Allegiant Air pilots in response to the pilots’ union’s concerns. “Teamsters, which represents the pilots, has challenged the language of the preliminary injunction as overly broad,” U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon wrote in his May 7 amended order. “In [Teamsters Local 1224’s] view, certain terms in the injunction ‘could be interpreted to interfere with, if not outright prohibit, non-work stoppage conduct and communications, including conduct and communications that are clearly protected by the First Amendment,'” Gordon said. To clarify his order, Gordon enjoined the union and pilots from engaging in any “concerted refusal to perform normal employment duties” regarding any issues that were or could have been addressed during an April evidentiary hearing. The injunction does not apply to any new labor violations that might arise, nor will it apply if the union and airline “exhaust the Railway Labor Act’s major dispute resolution procedures,” Gordon wrote. Allegiant pilots in January approved a strike, primarily due to changes the airline made regarding pilot scheduling. The pilots say the new system does not honor seniority and lacks transparency and predictability. Allegiant in April sought an injunction to stop the pilots from striking, which the airline argued would violate the Railway Labor Act.